1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distribution system, a contents server and a contents distribution method for distributing contents composed of text data and image data via a network.
2. Related Art
In a homepage that displays text data and image data via the Internet, in a case where the size of image data to be displayed is large or in a case where there are a plurality of image data, data to be distributed is downsized by a method of, for example, distributing a page of only text data and making link from there to a page of only original image data, or inserting reduced image data of original image data into a page of text data and making link to a page of only original image prepared separately, whereby a load on the network is reduced.
An image recording and reproducing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 6-309375 (1994) stores by associating an entire reduced image obtained by reducing the whole image data with partial image of a predetermined portion (for example, a central portion) in the same size as the entire reduced image. Consequently, a speedy image search is enabled.
A document filing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 9-81583 (1997) stores by associating an entire document image with a partial image captured from the entire image, and presents to a user as a partial image index at the time of searching. Consequently, registration of a document is facilitated, and a load on a user is reduced.
A document image management apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 9-319765 (1997) extracts an important portion image from image data of a document image as a key region, and displays the key region and bibliographical information together. Consequently, it is possible to grasp the most content of the document image without displaying the whole image, and it is possible to decrease the cost of display.
However, in the case of making link from a page of only text data to a page of only original image data of contents, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand the content of original image only by browsing the page of only text data even if there is an explanation of the original image data in the content of the text data.
Further, although in the case of preparing a page that a reduced image of original image data is inserted into a text page and making link from there to a page of only original image data of contents, it is easier to understand than in the case of browsing a page of only text data, there is a need to manually lay out text data in accordance with the height and width of a reduced image of each image data.
Further, other than the above problems, in a case where original image data is image data that is too large to display on a display of a contents display terminal or image data of an undisplayable image format, there is a problem that it is difficult to browse the original image data and check the content.
FIG. 7 is a conventional display example of contents in which image data and text data coexist. Reduced image data 50 of original image data has a height of three lines and a width of three letters, and the image data and the text data should be laid out based on that information.
Because a size of original image data 52 obtained by linking from a page of a display example 51 is larger than a size of a display 53 of a contents display terminal, it is impossible to check the whole at one time. Moreover, in a case where it is impossible to display and check because of a certain problem, for example, in a case where a contents display terminal is not compatible with the format of original image, there is no choice but download the original image data 52 as it is without checking.